Solidoodle

Printing Guidelines

• Warning: Do not set the extruder temperature above 210 C. Otherwise you may damage your hot end. Older printers do not have a firmware limit on temperature.
• The motors may whine a bit during idle. You can click the “Motors Off” button in Pronterface to disable the motors.
• Make sure first layer sticks to the build platform well. The strands for the first layer should be flat and slightly pressed onto the platform, instead of round and laid on top.
• To prevent the printhead from dragging across the build platform during the initial homing process, use the Pronterface controls to move the build platform down away from the printhead before beginning a print.
• Make sure your filament runs freely by keeping it neat and tidy on the spool. Keep the filament free from tangles by preventing it from unraveling from the spool.
• Don’t run the extruder motor without the heater turned to at least 190 C. There is little chance of damaging anything, but it’s likely you’ll strip the filament, creating dust. This ABS dust might cause the filament to strip, which leads to inconsistent extrusion.
• Don’t allow the hot extruder to contact the build platform for more than a few seconds. The hot extruder tip can melt the platform. If the extruder tip crashes into the build platform for some reason, don’t panic. First, unplug your printer from the power outlet. Then close & reopen Pronterface. Next, plug the printer back into the USB port, reconnect to the printer’s USB port, and then use the +Z control to move the platform down away from the printhead.
• Make sure the object is centered on the build platform. If necessary, you can easily center, rotate and scale the STL in ReplicatorG. Don’t open ReplicatorG while Pronterface is running, otherwise it may try to take over the Printer’s serial port and interfere with a print.
• Use a printing temperature of around 190 C.
• Don’t move the printhead or build platform to their limits manually. Doing so can break the limit switches loose. Instead, use the Pronterface controls to manually move the axes. The firmware prevents moving the axes past their limits. Don’t fret if you accidentally slam an axes into the limit switch and break if off. Simply reattach the limit switch with super glue (cyanoacrylate).
• Do not place the printer directly next to, or underneath air conditioning systems or fans. External cooling sources may disrupt the internal temperature of the Solidoodle 2.